Release Blitz: Divine Desire by Audrey Carlan

December 27, 2016June 22, 20171 Comment

Today I am, again, working with Bare Naked Words to participate in the Release Blitz for the third book in Audrey Carlan’s Lotus House series, Divine Desire. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: Lotus House, #3

SYNOPSIS

When veteran yoga instructor Mila Mercado was asked to attend a new class and report back to the studio, she had no idea that the over-confident, ruggedly sexy newbie Atlas Powers was going to teach more than just a very controversial and erotic form of yoga.

New instructor Atlas Powers has two passions in life: his music career and steamy by-the-book Mila Mercado. He teaches yoga by day and works at his passion by night until the fiery woman walks into his class and gives the term desire a whole new dimension.

In this wicked hot tale of love and lust, two struggling artists are trying to make their dreams come true. Only one thing gets in the way… until they stop fighting long enough to burn up the sheets and the yoga studio with a divine desire neither of them can avoid.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Audrey Carlan is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She writes wicked hot love stories that are designed to give the reader a romantic experience that’s sexy, sweet, and so hot your ereader might melt. Some of her works include the wildly successful Calendar Girl Serial, Falling Series, and the Trinity Trilogy.

She lives in the California Valley where she enjoys her two children and the love of her life. When she’s not writing, you can find her teaching yoga, sipping wine with her “soul sisters” or with her nose stuck in a wicked hot romance novel.

Be Sure To Follow Audrey:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AudreyCarlan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AudreyCarlan

Website: http://www.audreycarlan.com/

BUY LINKS:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1UfFunz

Kindle: http://amzn.to/29xFDXI

B&N: http://bit.ly/29qX9e9

Nook: http://bit.ly/2auSo2P

iBooks: http://apple.co/29zJdyE

Google Play: http://bit.ly/29kVUvu

Kobo: http://bit.ly/29BAHzW

Books-A-Million: http://bit.ly/29kHGiN

Kindle AUS: http://amzn.to/29tJiWm

Kindle Canada: http://amzn.to/29lcvPl

Kindle UK: http://amzn.to/29nOWGF

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/29lbWFg

Other Books by Audrey Carlan; http://www.audreycarlan.com/book/

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Blitz Organized By Bare Naked Words

Release Week Blitz: Size Matters by Alison Bliss

November 29, 2016June 22, 2017Leave a comment

SIZE MATTERS by Alison Bliss

Series: A Perfect Fit, #1

On Sale: November 29, 2016

Mass Market: $5.99 USD

eBook: $5.99 USD

Add to Goodreads

a-perfect-fit-series

Size Matters, #1

On The Plus Side, #2

Series Page on Goodreads

Synopsis

The rules of (fake) engagement . . .
Leah Martin has spent her life trying to avoid temptation. But she’s sick of low-fat snacks, counting calories, and her hyper-critical mom. Fortunately, her popular new bakery keeps her good and distracted. But there aren’t enough éclairs in the world to distract Leah from the hotness that is Sam Cooper – or the fact that he just told her mother that they’re engaged . . . which is a big, fat lie.
Sam sometime speaks before he thinks. So what started out as defending Leah’s date-ability to her judgmental mother soon turned into having a fiancée! Now the plan is to keep up the fake engagement, stay “just friends,” and make Leah’s family loathe him enough to just call the whole thing off. But Sam has an insatiable sweet tooth, not only for Leah’s decadent desserts but her decadent curves. Her full lips. Her bright green eyes. Yep, things aren’t going quite according to plan. Now Sam has to convince Leah that he’s for real . . . before their little lie turns into one big, sweet disaster.

Buy The Book:

About The Author

alison-bliss-credit-julie-abston-photography

Alison Bliss grew up in Small Town, Texas, but currently resides in the Midwest with her husband and two sons. With so much testosterone in her home, it’s no wonder she writes “girl books.” She believes the best way to know if someone is your soul mate is by canoeing with them because if you both make it back alive, it’s obviously meant to be. Alison pens the type of books she loves to read most: fun, steamy love stories with heart, heat, laughter, and usually a cowboy or two. As she calls it, “Romance…with a sense of humor.”

Be Sure To Follow Alison:

Be Sure To Follow Forever:

Excerpt

Leah Martin nearly choked on her beer.

“What do you mean just pick one?” Her eyes scanned the entire bar before settling back on her friend. “Pick one what?”

“A guy, of course.”

Yeah, because it was just that simple. For Valerie, maybe. Even though they were close in size, Valerie always wore her weight better and turned heads everywhere she went. It probably helped that she had expressive doe eyes, wavy platinum-blond hair, and looked more like a cutesy toy poodle any guy would give their right testicle to take for a walk.

“I hate to tell you this, Val, but that only applies to women who look like you.” If Leah had to classify herself in that same frame of reference, she’d accurately describe herself as a Bulldog. Not only did she have the breed’s innate stubborn streak, but she also had the matching broad shoulders, wide hips, large chest, and—if she didn’t lose a few pounds—probably the same short life span. “Hippy brunettes with body image issues and smudged eyeliner don’t get the luxury of just pick one.”

“Oh, shut up,” Valerie said, rolling her eyes. “Your eyeliner looks fine.”

Yep, that about sums it up. My eyeliner is the only thing that looks decent on me tonight.

The little black dress she wore was just that—too little—and was slowly squeezing the life out of her. Especially after packing on ten extra pounds in the last few months. The sheath of fabric clung to every curve, as well as every bulge. Thank God they lived in Texas instead of Alaska or an Eskimo might’ve mistaken her for a seal and tried to skin her.

“So what’s your pleasure?” Valerie asked, not giving up. “Plenty of gorgeous men in here tonight.”

“Sure, if I squint.”

“Okay, stop being negative. You’re gorgeous, and lots of men love curvy women. I should know. Now pick one.”

No point in arguing with her. Once Valerie set her mind to something, she didn’t stop until the mission was accomplished. But the only time Leah had ever had her pick of anything was when she stood in front of the doughnut case at work, deciding between a chocolate éclair or a cream cheese danish.

“How am I supposed to know who to pick? It’s not like they wear signs on their foreheads saying, ‘I dig fat chicks.’”

Valerie shot her an exasperated look. “We’ll just establish a baseline for the kind of guy you want.”

“The kind of guy I’d want wouldn’t be hanging out in a bar called Rusty’s Bucket. In fact, I wouldn’t be here either if you hadn’t forced me to come.”

“Leah, you got dumped. Happens to all of us sooner or later.” Valerie’s voice softened as she reached for Leah’s hand. “It sucks, I know. But you’re always at work or upstairs in your apartment, which means you never leave that damn building. It’s not healthy. You can’t hide out forever.”

“I’m not hiding. I’ve just…been busy. I never imagined I’d be this swamped only a month after grand opening, and I’ve had to put in a lot of extra hours.” Leah caught Valerie’s I’m-not-buying-it expression. “Come on, Val. The wedding is tomorrow night. Everything has to be perfect because…well, you know.”

Valerie rolled her eyes. “Why does it even matter?”

“Because my reputation is at stake. It’s my cake the happy couple will be stuffing into each other’s mouths. They can choke on it for all I care, but it’s going to be the tastiest damn wedding cake they’ve ever eaten while keeling over. Everything has to go as smoothly as possible, and I have a million things to do before tomorrow night. I still need to—”

Valerie raised her hand to stop her from continuing. “What you need is a break. Let’s find some guys to dance with and have a few hours of fun before you lock yourself up in the cave again. Just humor me, okay? Now, what would say your dream guy’s most attractive quality would be?”

Leah sighed. “A pulse.”

“No vampires. Check. What else?”

“I don’t know. This is stupid.” Leah caught the disappointment in Valerie’s eyes and groaned. “Okay, fine. I guess I’d want…”

Her gaze sifted through the crowd, landing on two men at the bar. While the one standing motioned to the bartender, the other rolled up the sleeves of his blue button-down shirt, drawing Leah’s attention to his tanned, muscular forearms. When he finished, he bumped his elbow against the other man’s ribs and said something that made them both laugh. The warm, amused smile he wore sent a zing of pleasure through Leah, like she’d been given a intravenous shot of serotonin. Him. I’d want him.

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Elizabeth Cobbs Interview

October 28, 2016November 29, 2016Leave a comment

With Hamilton becoming a national phenomenon the ten dollar founding father Alexander Hamilton has been put back in the spotlight. I myself have listened to the original cast recording multiple times (and have unsuccessfully tried to follow along with Lafayette’s insanely fast rap). So when I discovered Elizabeth Cobbs newest book The Hamilton Affair in the bookstore I immediately picked it up. I was able to get the author Elizabeth Cobbs to answer a few questions on Hamilton, history, and writing historical fiction. Be sure to scroll down for my interview with Elizabeth.

static1-squarespace-1

Synopsis

Set against the dramatic backdrop of the American Revolution, and featuring a cast of iconic characters such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and the Marquis de Lafayette,The Hamilton Affair tells the sweeping, tumultuous, true love story of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler, from tremulous beginning to bittersweet ending—his at a dueling ground on the shores of the Hudson River, hers more than half a century later after a brave, successful life.

Hamilton was a bastard son, raised on the Caribbean island of St. Croix. He went to America to pursue his education. Along the way he became one of the American Revolution’s most dashing—and unlikely—heroes. Adored by Washington, hated by Jefferson, Hamilton was a lightning rod: the most controversial leader of the American Revolution.

She was the well-to-do daughter of one of New York’s most exalted families—feisty, adventurous, and loyal to a fault. When she met Alexander, she fell head over heels. She pursued him despite his illegitimacy, and loved him despite his infidelity. In 1816 (two centuries ago), she shamed Congress into supporting his seven orphaned children. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton started New York’s first orphanage. The only “founding mother” to truly embrace public service, she raised 160 children in addition to her own.
With its flawless writing, brilliantly drawn characters, and epic scope, The Hamilton Affair will take its place among the greatest novels of American history.

About The Author

static1-squarespace

Award-winning historian Elizabeth Cobbs brings fresh, unexpected perspectives to our understanding of the past and present. Building upon worldwide research and extraordinary life experiences, Elizabeth writes fiction and non-fiction that is both scholarly and witty. Her path-breaking books and articles reveal a world that is as intriguing and surprising as it is real.

Elizabeth earned her Ph.D. in American history at Stanford University. She now holds the Melbern Glasscock Chair at Texas A&M University and a Research Fellowship at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. Her books have won four literary prizes, two for American history and two for fiction. Elizabeth has been a Fulbright scholar in Ireland and a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. She has served on the Historical Advisory Committee of the U.S. State Department and on the jury for the Pulitzer Prize in History.

Be Sure to Follow Elizabeth:

Website: http://elizabethcobbs.com/about

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethCobbsAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Elizabeth_Cobbs

Interview

Tell us about your latest book The Hamilton Affair?

In The Hamilton Affair I try to capture the inner lives of Alexander Hamilton and his spirited wife Eliza Schuyler. What was it like to live through the heady, frightening, thrilling, joyful, and tragic years of the American Revolution and early republic? How did their love survive despite all that life could throw at them, including infidelity and murder?

What was it about Alexander and Eliza Hamilton that made you want to write their story?

As a historian, I had been trained to think of Hamilton as a preening, scheming monarchist committed to defending the privileged and wealthy. I thought it might be fun to write a novel about an intriguing political villain. Then I found a tender lover and passionate patriot instead of the cold elitist I expected—and I knew I had to tell Alexander’s tale! He introduced me to Eliza, a woman who had ducked out of history’s spotlight but deserved to be remembered as one of our most dedicated Founding Mothers. I vowed not to rest until others knew her surprising story, too.

Did you visit any of the places mentioned in the book? If so what was your favorite place to visit?

Yes! I visited Alexander’s Caribbean birthplace on Nevis and boyhood town of Christiansted on St. Croix. I visited Eliza’s childhood homes in Albany and Saratoga. I traveled to Washington’s Crossing in Pennsylvania, where he forded the Delaware with the Continental Army on Christmas Eve in 1776, and to Valley Forge, where the revolutionary army hunkered down against the brutal winter of 1778. I scouted colonial Philadelphia, where he served as first Treasury Secretary and met seductive Maria Reynolds. I visited the home in Manhattan that Alexander built for Eliza and their eight children (now a National Park), and in which she raised their family after his death.

My favorite places? The saddest place for me was the grave of Alexander’s mother on St. Croix and the dark prison into which she was thrown for fleeing her abusive husband. The place that made me smile was Eliza’s home in Albany, where she and Alexander pledged their vows and conceived their first child in December 1780.

There is a renewed interest in Alexander Hamilton thanks to the hit musical Hamilton. Have you seen or listened to Hamilton? If so what do you think of it?

I’ve not yet seen the musical, but could sing along if given the opportunity! The music and script are brilliant. Lin-Manuel Miranda changed a few key facts about Eliza’s sister Angelica for dramatic effect, but he’s done a great service by breathing new life into this amazing era from which we can learn so much about love, sacrifice, idealism, and loyalty.

When writing historical fiction how do you decide what to leave in, take out or embellish?

Tough question. Short answer? It depends. I have no particular formula, except that I never alter a known fact. It’s against my training as a professional historian. I embellish quite a bit, but in ways consistent with the facts. I think of crafting a story as being similar to putting together a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. The puzzle of Alexander’s life has a hundred extra pieces, including lies that were told about him. Half the pieces of Eliza’s story are missing, so I paint new details to fill the gaps and show the richness of their time together.

As a historian how important is it for you to remain historically accurate?

I consider it a duty to portray individuals in ways they and their contemporaries would recognize as true. That said, I write from a particular point of view. My chapters alternate between Eliza’s and Alexander’s perspective. Naturally enough, the Hamiltons developed a negative view of men like Aaron Burr and Thomas Jefferson with which those men and their admirers would disagree. But that’s an unavoidable result of seeing the world through Eliza’s and Alexander’s eyes.

The Hamilton Affair is about Alexander and Eliza Hamilton while your other book Broken Promises is about Charles Francis Adams. Are there any other historical figures you want to write about?

Wanted: Fascinating women and men. At the moment, I’m toying with the Marquis de Lafayette and his wife Adrienne. Her grandmother, mother, and sister were all guillotined—and she used an American passport to save her husband’s life. Other characters I find intriguing are the wives of Andrew Jackson and Simon Bolívar. Send me your suggestions!

If someone wants to learn more about Eliza and Alexander Hamilton after reading The Hamilton Affair what recourses (books, websites, ect.) would you recommend?

The books of Ron Chernow and Joseph Ellis are wonderful. Both writers are winners of the Pulitzer Prize for good reason. Chernow’s biography, Hamilton, is the most comprehensive. Ellis’s Founding Brothers is shorter and weaves together the tales of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Adams, and others—placing Hamilton in the rich, murky soup that was the Revolution.

What are you working on now?

My next book is The Hello Girls, America’s First Women Soldiers. During World War I, the army drafted 2.8 million American men. For the first time in U.S. history, at General John Pershing’s urging, a handful of women volunteered as well. They alone had the qualifications to operate the most advanced communications technology of the day: the telephone switchboard.

The majority were younger than 25. Some fudged their birthdates to qualify and one snuck in at age 16. They came from every corner of the U.S. and some across the Canadian border. There isn’t a spunkier, more determined group of women in all history. Like many of the infantry “Doughboys” who volunteered in 1917, they burned with pity for France and Belgium, invaded by an implacable enemy. They were also supremely conscious of bearing their nation’s trust as its first women soldiers. When General John Pershing inspected their columns on parade grounds across France, standing in their blue uniform skirts alongside men—or they connected a telephone call from an artillery officer to a unit awaiting orders to fire—the women felt what one called “an awful responsibility.” They also took satisfaction in meeting it, supremely conscious of paving a path for other women to serve their country.

The Hello Girls, America’s First Women Soldiers hits the stands next April. Read how they rescued army communications, helped win the war, and earned the vote for women!

The BOOKWORM BOX Unboxing + Review

September 9, 2016June 5, 2021Leave a comment

For this post I am doing something I haven’t done on the blog before: an unboxing. At the beginning of the summer I received a package from THE BOOKWORM BOX for review*. The Bookworm Box is a monthly subscription box service (started by author Colleen Hoover) that donates 100% of its proceeds to charity.

The first thing I saw when I opened the box was a letter from Colleen listing all the charities that the money from the month’s box would be sent to. Along with the letter were two bookmarks and a magnet.

Next was the two books: Honesty by Seth King and Midnight Lily by Mia Sheridan.

Also in the box was a sticker that read “GOOD DEEDS. GREAT READS.”, a pin that says “SHHH…I’m Reading”, a Bookworm Box pen and charger.

When I was first sent the box I didn’t really know what to expect. I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t like the books that were in the box but I was pleasantly surprised because they both sounded very interesting. I also liked that these were not necessarily books that I would have picked out for myself at a bookstore. It’s always great when you can discover new books and authors. While I was a little disappointed that there was not more goodies inside I still enjoyed receiving the box.

WATCH MY FULL UNBOXING HERE:

*This is a review of the April box.

Thanks again to Colleen Hoover and The Bookworm Box team for sending me the box.

Excerpt Reveal: Just Friends by Monica Murphy

September 9, 2016October 12, 2018Leave a comment

I’m excited to be working with Social Butterfly PR in promoting Monica Murphy’s latest New Adult Romance Just Friends.

sbpr-jf-er

Just Friends by Monica Murphy

On Sale: September 13^th, 2016
Genre: New Adult Romance

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2cu3XZM

SYNOPSIS

It’s the end of summer. Just before I start senior year with my two best friends in the whole world. Dustin and Emily are everything to me. We’ve been inseparable since middle school, and when we’re together, nothing can go wrong.

But things aren’t always what they seem. Em’s turned into a drunken mess who parties too much. Dustin and I have hooked up a few times―and now he’s ready to take our relationship to the next level. Yet I’m not sure I want things to change. I’m scared if I take it any further with Dustin, our friendship will be ruined forever. Then there’s Ryan. The new guy. He’s hot. He flirts way too much. And Em has totally set her sights on him.

So when my best friend betrays me in the worst possible way, guess who’s there to help me pick up the pieces of my broken heart? Ryan. But he’s so confusing. Annoying. Sweet. Sexy. I want to trust him, yet he makes it so hard. What I really want is for everything to go back to the way it was before.

Before I found out that best friends make the worst kind of enemies.

Pre-Order Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2bHAn2k

iBooks: http://apple.co/2aeSduM

B&N: http://bit.ly/2bIDYNr

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2bNGXUX

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2bIEISO

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2bhsEbM

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2byYFg7

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Monica Murphy is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of the One Week Girlfriend series, the Billionaire Bachelors and The Rules series. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and has sold over one million copies worldwide. She is both self-published and published by Random House/Bantam and Harper Collins/Avon. She writes new adult, young adult and contemporary romance.

She is a wife and a mother of three who lives in central California on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere along with their one dog and too many cats. A self-confessed workaholic, when she’s not writing, she’s reading or hanging out with her husband and kids. She’s a firm believer in happy endings, though she will admit to putting her characters through angst-filled moments before they finally get that hard won HEA.

Be sure to follow Monica:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MonicaMurphyauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MsMonicaMurphy

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2c9ViiI

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2bRP5bR

Website: http://monicamurphyauthor.com

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/IW5U0y

EXCERPT

“Liv! Finally you’re here.” She curls her arm around my shoulders and forces me to face Ryan, who’s still sitting on the edge of the bed with his legs spread in that way boys sit, wearing only swim trunks again. Does the guy ever wear actual clothes? “We’ve been waiting for you. Tell Ryan hello.”

“Hello,” I say in a monotone voice, incredibly uncomfortable from interrupting what was surely a private hookup moment. He smiles and rises to his feet, smoothing a hand over his rumpled hair, his biceps bulging with the movement. Hair Em was probably responsible for rumpling. “Hey, Livvy.”

Tingles race over my skin and I force myself to ignore the signs that I might be attracted to this boy who just had his tongue in my best friend’s mouth. I don’t even know him. It’s purely a physical thing, as in every single thing that makes him up physically, I find attractive.

And I shouldn’t. He doesn’t belong to me. He belongs to Em. I should be thinking about Dustin.

Not Ryan.

“I’m so glad you’re finally here.” Em turns toward me, and envelopes me in a warm hug, her mouth on my neck as she starts to speak again. “I’ve missed you.”

I hug her back, my gaze meeting Ryan’s as I say, “I’ve missed you too.”

He sends me a playful, rolling eyes look that I ignore.

Em kisses my neck and pulls away, her blue eyes bright, her cheeks flushed. She’s wearing a white lacy cover up over a black string bikini and her chin-length, gold-streaked bob is tucked behind her ears. She’s effortlessly gorgeous, all rosy from kissing a cute boy for who knows how long. “Now that you’re here the party can start.”

I laugh and shake my head. “Looks like it’s already been going for the last few days.”

Em rolls her eyes and lets go of me, heading for her dresser. “I was just biding my time until you showed up.”

“So I bring the party?” I tease, meeting Ryan’s gaze once more.

“You definitely bring something,” he tells me before pulling me into a tight hug. My chest presses against his, my arms going around his waist for the briefest moment before I release him and back far away.

He makes me nervous.

“Aw, I love that you guys are already hugging!” Em cries as she watches us.

Guilt swamps me but Ryan just smiles. “I’ll leave you girls alone.” He looks at me. “See you at the pool.”

And then he’s gone.

The air seems to cool the moment he’s le the room and

I go to stand next to Em, watching as she digs through the top drawer of her dresser. It’s an elaborate piece of furniture, cream-colored with an endless number of drawers, every one of them stuffed full of clothes. The one she’s digging through now is over flowing with lacy scraps of fabric. There are panties in every style and color, boy shorts and thongs and bikinis, some of it standard, most of it sexy.

Her underwear drawer is like Em in a nutshell.

“So how’s your summer been? Besides the partying and hanging out with the popular crowd? Have you done anything else?” I’m trying to make conversation but she’s hardly paying attention to me.

“It’s been so boring without you here,” she says, her head practically buried in that drawer.

I think she’s saying that to make me feel better. Not that she needs to. I’m a big girl. She’s allowed to have fun when I’m not around.

“What are you looking for?” I ask. “A black lacy thong I bought last week.” She lifts her head and smiles at me. “I want to wear it tonight.” “But aren’t we going swimming?” Em blows out a frustrated breath. “Yeah, but I don’t want to forget. I want to wear it for…” Her voice drifts and she purses her lips.

“Ryan?”

She sighs and slams the drawer shut, turning to look at me. “Well, yeah. But it’s no big deal. We’re just friends.”

I raise a brow. “Is that what you call it? Because I hate to break it to you, but you were kissing him just a few minutes ago, and he had his hand on your boob.”

“So crude.” She nudges my shoulder with hers. “Voyeur.”

“Just stating facts. Facts I saw with my own eyes.” I pause, but she doesn’t say anything. “I don’t get why you can’t say that you like him and he likes you. What’s the big deal?”

“Because he refuses to make this a big deal so I can’t, okay? He told me straight up that we’re going to be just friends and that’s it.”

Excerpt Reveal Organized by Social Butterfly PR

1526852_1042148559132014_7545520316668954402_n

Blog Tour: You Before Anyone Else by Julie Cross & Mark Perini

August 2, 2016October 12, 2018Leave a comment

Today I am excited to be working with Tasty Book Tours to participate in the Blog Tour for You Before Anyone Else by Julie Cross & Mark Perini. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post to enter a giveaway for a $25 B&N Gift Card and a signed copy of You Before Anyone Else as well as a contest hosted by Julie, Mark and Tasty Book Tours.

bt-youbeforeanyoneelse-crossperini_final

ybae

SYNOPSIS

Bestselling author Julie Cross teams up with international model Mark Perini to create You Before Anyone Else, a poignant and authentic contemporary YA novel and companion to Halfway Perfect

The supportive friend, the reliable daughter, the doting big sister: Finley is used to being the glue that holds everyone together. But while her sweet demeanor makes her the perfect confidant, her wholesome look isn’t landing her the high-paying modeling jobs, which are what Finley needs if she is going to reopen her mother’s dance studio.

Enter Eddie. He’s intense and driven, not to mention the life of every party, and he completely charms Finley. The last thing she wants is another commitment to stand in the way of her dreams, but when she’s with Eddie, their chemistry takes over and she can let go of her responsibilities and just be. After all, what’s so wrong about putting herself first once in a while?

Except Eddie is hiding a secret. A big secret. And when it surfaces, he and Finley are going to have to choose between their love for each other and everything else…

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

julie-cross

Julie Cross is a NYT and USA Today bestselling author of New Adult and Young Adult fiction, including the Tempest series, a young adult science fiction trilogy which includes Tempest, Vortex, Timestorm (St. Martin’s Press).

She’s also the author of Letters to Nowhere series, Whatever Life Throws at You, Third Degree, Halfway Perfect, and many more to come!

Julie lives in Central Illinois with her husband and three children. She’s a former gymnast, longtime gymnastics fan, coach, and former Gymnastics Program Director with the YMCA.

She’s a lover of books, devouring several novels a week, especially in the young adult and new adult genres.

Outside of her reading and writing credibility’s, Julie Cross is a committed–but not talented–long distance runner, creator of imaginary beach vacations, Midwest bipolar weather survivor, expired CPR certification card holder, as well as a ponytail and gym shoe addict.

Be Sure To Follow Julie:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

GoodReads

mark-perini

Mark Perini is a New York City based author debuting his first YA novel, Halfway Perfect. Additionally, Mark is a featured author in the NA anthology, Fifty First Times.

Mark began his career as an international fashion model when he was 18 years old, while simultaneously obtaining a business degree from Seton Hall University. He has a passion for traveling the world, and he’s made a blood pact with friends to see all seven ancient wonders of the world before he’s thirty. Four down three to go.

Be Sure To Follow Mark:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

FINLEY

“What are you so afraid of?” Summer asks.

I take a sip of the beer Dima brought me a few minutes ago. “Oh, I don’t know, addiction, overdose, puking on some innocent victim’s shoes, random drug testing by the agency…”

Summer laughs. “Drug testing on models? Yeah, that’ll be the day.”

Okay, so maybe I just don’t want to do it. Even if I should be in my so-called experimental phase.

I wouldn’t exactly label myself a rule follower, but I guess I’m just cautious. I haven’t always been this way. Not that I’ve done drugs, but before high school, I was all about ballet. Let’s just say I had a rep for being the sassy troublemaker. My mom being my ballet teacher may have had something to do with my behavior. My fingers immediately move to the cross dangling from my neck—I’ve only removed it a couple times over the last four years. Somehow, it’s always warmer than my hands.

I debate texting my dad to ask him if he’s done coke or molly. He’d probably tell me. But I wouldn’t want to freak him out. Seems like a conversation better reserved for a weekend visit instead of late on a Friday night when I could be too far gone to help, for all he knows.

I glance around the room and finally spot someone I know: my friend Alex and his girlfriend Eve. Alex and I did a big Calvin Klein shoot last year, and Eve was the photographer’s assistant. Actually, Eve used to be a model too, another preteen/teen phenom like Elana, who headlined that CK shoot along with Alex. My part had been fairly small, and still, that was my biggest job ever.

“Have you met Alex?”

Summer shrugs, grabs two more shots of vodka, and hands me one. “Like I would remember.”

I down the shot quickly and prepare to talk to Alex and Eve. Maybe they’ve done drugs and can advise me. But my buzzing phone distracts me. I pull it out of my purse and glance at the new text.

JASON: Yeah, it’s so weird to be home again. But I missed it.

My stomach flip-flops. He replied to my text. Hours later, but still…this could mean—

“Oh lord, you’re pathetic.” Summer is leaned toward me, reading over my shoulder. “That’s probably enough for you to live off of for another six months or so, right?”

I glare at her and shove the phone back into my purse.

“No comeback? Wonder why…” She pretends to be in deep thought. “He said he missed it. Not you. Cut the fucking cord already. It’s not healthy.”

If only it were that easy. When you’re in a relationship with someone for four years, you get so comfortable with that person. It’s daunting to start all over again.

I make my way across the room to see Alex and Eve, who are leaning against the back of the couch, more absorbed in each other than anything else.

“I heard Elana’s back from France?” Alex asks me, keeping his voice low.

“Yep, her and her mom. I think her mom is driving her crazy, but that’s to be expected. French Mama is driving me crazy too.”

They both laugh at the mention of French Mama, but I can’t take credit for that title. Summer made it up.

“I can’t believe her parents let her come back to New York,” Eve says.

Alex smiles at her. “You’re just upset that they’re here and not in France where we can hit them up for lodging.”

My gaze travels back and forth between the two of them. “You guys are going to France? Are you going for Fashion Week?”

Eve shakes her head. “Nope. I did the Prada shoot, and I’m done for good. Got tuition for next year covered.”

Even though Eve had supposedly quit modeling a few years ago, she pulled a one-last-job stunt last spring to cover her tuition at Columbia. She’s a photography student with a lot of experience under her belt.

“We’re doing the cheap travel, backpacking in Europe but without actual backpacks thing,” Alex explains.

Across the room, another beer pong player is being requested. This could possibly be the most adventurous thing I’m willing to do here. I turn to Alex and Eve again. “Well, good luck in Europe. I’m gonna go play beer pong.”

“Hey.” I grab Dima’s shirt sleeve. “You need another player?”

He looks me over, deliberating. “Sure. Be the new guy’s partner.”

“The new guy?” I glance around. What does that even mean? New to the party, like he just walked in? I’ve been here fifteen minutes.

“He’s new to the agency,” Dima says. “First casting, and he books some big job.”

“So we hate him then, right?” I joke. I turn around to head toward the game table and run right into a guy about my age with wild, dark curly hair and designer jeans.

“This guy,” Dima says to me and then turns to the new guy. “Got you a partner. Finley. She lives in the agency apartment downstairs.”

They exchange a look that says I’ve been mentioned before. I’m not liking that too much, but usually, I don’t come to these parties. Instead, I bang on the door at two in the morning to tell them to

stop thumping around like elephants. Maybe I got a bad rep.

While we wait for Dima to find a partner, I snatch two beers from a nearby cooler and offer one up to New Guy. “So, Dima said you’re new, but he didn’t say where you’re from.”

“Uh…the Midwest.”

“The Midwest.” Okay. Someone doesn’t want to get personal. “Like Wisconsin or like Chicago?”

“Chicago…well, not in Chicago, but around it, you know?” he says.

“Right.” I pop open my can and take a drink. “What’s your name? I’m sorry, I don’t think Dima said…”

“Eddie.” He lifts his gaze again. “Eddie Wells. And you’re Finley Belton, the girl who lives downstairs.”

Summer breezes past me but stops when she spots me holding the beer pong ball. “Beer pong? Oh, you wild animal…grrrr.” She holds up her tiger paws and growls at me.

I give her the finger and then turn back to Eddie. “I’m one of the girls who live downstairs.”

“One is too bitchy, one is too underage, and one is nice,” he recites, most likely quoting Dima.

This is exactly what I’m trying to escape tonight. “Dima called me the baby bear?” I’m secretly hoping he catches my reference to Goldilocks.

“No,” Eddie says. “He called you Finley Belton, but I added the nice part, because you brought me a beer. And it is just right, not to mention you’re talking to me instead of staring and whispering to other people about me.”

Points for his fairy tale knowledge, and I’m sure the whispering is the result of whatever big job he’s landed. Too many models at this party.

Eve tries to be Dima’s partner, but he refuses and tells Alex to play with him. Eve opens her mouth to protest, but Dima holds up a hand. “Don’t even. I know your type. You’ll engineer some fancy trick shots. No Ivy League players showing me up. I got a rep to protect.”

“Fine,” Eve snaps. “I’ll just stand here and look pretty. And I’m definitely rooting for Fin and…” She gestures toward the new guy.

“Eddie,” I fill in for her. “Eddie from Chicago.”

“Eddie from Chicago,” Eve repeats. “Good luck.”

Summer returns and stands beside Eve, both leaning against the back of the love seat.

“Fin makes a great partner,” Summer says to Eddie. “She knits. Lots of finger dexterity.”

I shoot her a glare and will my face not to heat up. So not cool.

GIVEAWAY

Enter the giveaway to win a $25 B&N Gift Card and a signed copy of You Before Anyone Else

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ADDITIONAL CONTEST

crossperini-ybae_giveaway

Julie Cross and Mark Perini, along with Tasty Book Tours, are celebrating those who have taken the steps to Break the Mold on society’s expectations, like Finley, the heroine from YOU BEFORE ANYONE ELSE! We are looking for anyone who would like to share their story and be entered to win a 2017 Erin Condren Life Planner!

Head over to fb.me/TastyBookTours and leave a comment with your story. Feel free to share picture of your journey and use #breakingthemold at the end of your comment!

Entries must be in by 11:59pm, Aug 15^th, 2016. No purchase necessary to enter. If under 12 years old, you must have approval by a guardian to enter.

Release Day Blitz: Nacho Figueras Presents: Wild One by Jessica Whitman

June 28, 2016October 12, 2018Leave a comment

The seconds book in the Polo Season series, Wild One, is out in bookstores today. To celebrate I am participating in the Release Day Blitz. At the bottom of the post is a giveaway, hosted by Forever Romance, so be sure to enter.

Nacho Figueras Presents: Wild One by Jessica Whitman

Series: Polo Season, #2

On Sale: June 28, 2016

Formats: Trade Paperback, Mass Market, eBook

Price: $13.99 (TP), $6.99 (MM), $6.99 (eBook)

Add The Book On Goodreads

Polo Season Series

whitman_ridefree_mm

Nacho Figueras Presents: High Season, #1

Nacho Figueras Presents: Wild One, #2

Nacho Figueras Presents: Ride Free, #3

Series Page on Goodreads

SYNOPSIS

Kat Parker thought she’d finally escaped being known as the housekeeper’s daughter in the class-obsessed polo town of Wellington, FL. With her first blockbuster screenplay, she’d become the Hollywood It girl-until with one flop suddenly she wasn’t. Heading home is her only option.

Kat knows she can write another hit…if only she can find the right story. What she finds instead is the drop-dead gorgeous celebrity athlete Sebastian Del Campo, who’s just as well known for his tabloid exploits as he is for his prowess on the polo field.

For Sebastian, everything in life has always come easily-wealth, sports, women. But the perennial party life is starting to feel a bit stale. Especially after meeting Kat. Her easy laughter and candid attitude make him aspire to something more meaningful for the first time in his life.

As Sebastian tells Kat stories of his grandmother Victoria, a woman who could be dripping in diamonds one moment and tearing up the polo field the next, Kat’s inspiration fires and soon the pair are back in Hollywood, working on a film together that could make or break both of their careers. And though the chemistry between the two is building, the film’s irresistible star has other ideas…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

figurerasnacho2_byclaudiomarinesco_rgb72

Argentine polo player Ignacio “Nacho” Figueras has become one of the most recognizable and talented polo players in the world. He is currently the captain and co-owner of the Black Watch polo team. In addition to playing polo, Nacho has been featured as a face of Ralph Lauren and its Black Watch clothing and watch collection since 2000. In June 2009, he was voted the second most handsome man in the world by the readers of Vanity Fair and has appeared on numerous television shows, such as Oprah and Chelsea Handler. Nacho currently splits his time between Miami and Argentina with his wife, Delfina and their four children, Hilario, Aurora, Artemio, and Alba.

Be Sure To Follow Nacho:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Follow Forever Romance:

EXCERPT

Kat and Sebastian took off their shoes and walked along the edge of the sea. The sand was wet and warm, and the water hissed in and out over their bare feet as the tide came in. The beach was empty, and the moon was bright, and when she looked at him, her gray eyes gleamed silver in the pale light.

She was, thought Sebastian, even more than he had imagined she would be. She was beautiful, of course, but in an effortless way. The beauty mark above her lip, the 2-inch scar on the inside of her elbow that gleamed silvery-white against her smooth, tan skin (a childhood accident, she told him, trailing her finger over it self-consciously), the way that her glossy black curls sprang out around her head like an unruly corona in the Florida humidity, the faint laugh lines that appeared around her pretty eyes every time she smiled…

And she was smart, and funny, and she told him scandalous, gossipy, hilarious stories about Hollywood and made him laugh so hard his belly ached. And when he flattered or flirted, her cheeks would flush pink and her eyes sparkled, but at the same time, if he went over-the-top, he knew that she did not buy his bullshit. Not even one little bit. Because nothing got past this woman. Nada.

And now she walked alongside him, laughing and chattering about this and that in her husky, honey-sweet voice. Her legs were long enough that he barely had to adjust his stride, and her swinging hand kept grazing his arm and sending little shocks of pleasure through his body.

He caught her hand and pulled her toward him. “Besame,” he said softly.

She blinked. “Forgive my rusty Spanish, but doesn’t that mean-”

He cut her off by gently placing his mouth upon hers.

Her lips were soft and warm, and he searched them slowly, first with his own lips, and then with his tongue, just barely touching the outline of her mouth until she exhaled and stepped closer to him.

He loved kissing a woman this tall. He didn’t have to bend to her mouth at all, and it was so easy to pull her even closer and go deep. She tasted amazing, like sweet lime and champagne and a trace of salt, and she smelled of that same intriguing bittersweet caramel fragrance he had noticed the first day they met. He went deeper still, and she pushed up against him and made a soft, warm sound in the back of her throat, and suddenly he was flooded with an electric hunger so sharp that he felt that he might lose control.

And so he did what he had been fantasizing about doing all night. He led her away from the water and laid her down upon the warm sand and covered her body with his own.

She broke off kissing him. “Do you think,” she said hoarsely, “that we should find someplace more private?”

He pushed himself up and looked around. The beach was deserted. The only light from the restaurant was far behind. “I think we’re alone.” he said.

He gently kissed her face, and thought to himself that she felt so good, so right, and that he never wanted to be anywhere else. That he would stay here forever if she let him…

And then he laughed softly, because he really had never felt these things before. And honestly?

It kind of scared the living hell out of him.

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter

Launch Day Blitz: Nacho Figueras Presents: High Season by Jessica Whitman

May 31, 2016October 12, 20181 Comment

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Polo Season, #1

high-season_rgb300_1

SYNOPSIS

World-renowned polo player and global face of Ralph Lauren, Nacho Figueras dives into the world of scandal and seduction with a new fiction series set in the glamorous, treacherous world of high-stakes polo competition.

Georgia never wanted to be a jetsetter. A plain old country vet was fine for her. But one distress call from her best friend and the next thing she knows she’s neck deep in the world of polo’s most elite international players–complete with designer dresses, fine champagne and some of the most gorgeous thoroughbreds she’s ever seen. Some of the most gorgeous men too…

Alejandro Del Campo needs his team to win the season’s biggest polo tournament or else he’s not sure how much longer they’re going to be in business. What he doesn’t need is some sassy new vet telling him how to run his business–and distracting him at every turn. But as they come closer and closer to the championship match, it soon becomes clear that Alejandro wants to win Georgia just as much as the tourney trophy. But can he ever convince her his world is where she truly belongs?

ABOUT Nachos Figueras

figurerasnacho2_byclaudiomarinesco_rgb72

Be Sure To Follow Nachos:

Twitter: @nachofigueras

Instagram: @nachofigueras

Facebook: Facebook.com/NachoFigueras

EXCERPT

The horse let out a whinny, and Alejandro swore softly in Spanish. The last thing he wanted to do was wake the entire barn. He slipped a halter on MacKenzie, the favorite in his current string of ponies, and led her out of the stables. The moon was bright in the sky as he swung onto the pony’s bare back. With a snort, she broke into a trot.

Approaching the gatehouse, Alejandro gave the guard a curt nod. He was determined not to seem furtive riding his own horse on his own time, but the guard’s professional discretion didn’t disguise his surprise that Alejandro was taking a pony out at night without a saddle. The Del Campo family team, La Victoria, had a match tomorrow, and with the odds already stacked against them, Alejandro knew he should be home in bed, not tiring out his best pony with a hard-riding midnight outing.

He couldn’t sleep, though. Not yet. It was one of those nights when the darkness weighed down and his mind raced on. He felt particularly caged in Wellington. Every last inch of the landscape was tamed. For all its luxury, he felt trapped by the gated community—his guards and staff and fleets of grooms—when what he needed was a solitary ride in the wilderness. That’s why he rode at night, willing to risk the hidden dangers on the dimly lit paths—the possibility of a shadowed dip in the earth where a hoof could catch, a nocturnal animal suddenly darting out in front of them and spooking his pony—in exchange for having the roads to himself. He needed to gallop, skin to skin, even if only for a short stretch, to lose himself in the strength and speed of his horse. To reach that soaring, unifying moment that felt less like riding and more like flying, when he and the horse joined together to become one seamless beast.

Alejandro turned onto the canal road, leaned forward, and tightened his thighs—clicking his tongue and murmuring in Spanish until the pony’s gait smoothed out into a fluid gallop.

MacKenzie picked up speed, responding to his movements as if she could read his mind. Alejandro smiled. This pony loved to run. She was one of the few horses who could sustain this kind of pace and still be in world-class form the next morning. MacKenzie was such a fighter that she seemed to gain more fire, more heart, with every step she took. He’d find a role for her in the match tomorrow. She needed the game as much as he did.

He pressed his legs harder, driving the horse faster, determined to calm his buzzing mind and push his body until he could collapse, exhausted. It was practically the only way he could get any sleep these days.

It didn’t use to be so hard, he thought, slowing to a canter. He’d always slept like a baby after they won a match, but Lord knows, those wins were few and far between these days. A few glasses of wine occasionally worked, but he’d stopped drinking as part of his training, knowing that even if the alcohol initially brought him relief, he’d be wide awake a few hours later, eyes on the ceiling, while ghosts and shadows chased through his brain . . .

He shook his head, wishing for other ways to exhaust himself.

A string of images flashed through his mind. The sweet, silken curve of an inner thigh. The beckoning swell between waist and hip. A flirtatious smile thrown over a naked shoulder, inviting him to take what he wanted . . .

He swore to himself and rode harder, violently shutting down this train of thought and replacing it with the simple conviction he had come to focus on since the death of his wife—he had to win. And in particular, he had to qualify for and win the biggest game of the season, the upcoming Carlos Del Campo Memorial Cup, named after his own late father.

In determined pursuit of this goal, Alejandro had turned to abstinence in this last year, in every sense of the word. He had given up most earthly pleasures—drinking, women, unnecessary socializing, anything that could distract him from the game—and channeled all his restless feelings of grief and anger directly into his training. Spending every spare moment in the saddle, mercilessly pushing his already hard and athletic body as close to perfection as he could get, riding until he could barely walk. And yet, despite his absolute focus on the field, La Victoria had already lost more games than they had won this season, making a mockery of their name.

Alejandro wanted to blame his other teammates. If only they would train harder, pay better attention, be willing to sacrifice more. His younger brother, Sebastian, for example, could barely bother to turn up for practice most days, much more interested in taking advantage of the endless parade of polo groupies that were at his beck and call. Rory, the other young pro on the field, was talented but suggestible, and only too eager to follow Seb’s party-happy lead. Lord Henderson, the patrón, had once been a formidable athlete, but a lifetime of hard playing had taken its toll on the older man, and these days, like many patróns, it was more his ability to bankroll half of the team’s expenses that secured his place on the field. Really, when Alejandro thought about it, it was a miracle they ever won a game.

Still, deep down, he knew that, as team captain, the responsibility for their losses ultimately lay upon his own shoulders. And that, despite his absolute personal focus and relentless pursuit of the cup, he was somehow failing them all.

Alejandro kicked his pony on, trying to shake loose his feelings of uncertainty and loss, to shed them like scales in his wake. The heavy sound of MacKenzie’s hoofbeats, the dull thump of his own heart pounding, all resounded as one. Behind them, motes of sand kicked up by MacKenzie’s hooves briefly danced in the moonlight and sparked a glimmering silver trail.

He rode until his body felt leaden, his muscles ached, and the sultry Florida air had soaked his shirt all the way through. Finally, turning for home, he felt the pull of his bed and knew that now he’d rest and get at least a few hours of sleep before he was up and ready to show the world his game face again.

Buy The Book :

Amazon: http://amzn.to/25bbK70

B&N: http://bit.ly/1OzQScD

iBooks: http://apple.co/1TfAQM5

Google: http://bit.ly/1YCfmHy

Kobo: http://bit.ly/24ZURIV

IndieBound: http://bit.ly/1WCO9ra

Shawntelle Madison Interview + Giveaway

May 15, 2016October 12, 2018Leave a comment

In honor of the release of Bound to You by Shawntelle Madison, the first book in her In Your Service series, I am excited to share my interview with Shawntelle. Along with the interview I will be holding a giveaway of a eBook of Bound to You as well as some cool swag. Scroll down for the interview and the giveaway.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: At Your Service

SYNOPSIS

Through grace, talent, and hard work, personal concierge Sophie Ashton has turned international corporate warfare into an art. But when she meets her new client, a suave CEO who radiates masculine heat, she knows this is no ordinary job. Given her painful past, Sophie tries to keep her professional relationships exactly that: professional. But Xavier Quinn is a man who knows how to get what he wants, and soon Sophie is tempted into his wicked dance of seduction.
Xavier needs Sophie’s charm and finesse to land a coveted contract with a Japanese tech mogul, yet he’s even more intrigued by the woman in front of him. He can tell that Sophie has a darkly sensual nature, that she’s been hurt before, that the passion inside of her is struggling to break free. Xavier is used to taking risks in work and in life, but the stakes have never been higher. Because the game he plays with Sophie will bind them together—or destroy them both.

ABOUT THE AUTHORShawntelle Madison is a web developer who loves to weave words as well as code. She’d never admit it, but if asked she’d say she covets and collects source code. After losing her first summer job detassling corn, Shawntelle performed various jobs—from fast-food clerk to grunt programmer to university webmaster. Writing eccentric characters is her most favorite job of them all. On any particular day when she’s not surgically attached to her computer, she can be found watching cheesy horror movies or the latest action-packed anime. She lives in Missouri with her husband and children.

Be Sure To Follow Shawntelle:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShawntelleMadisonAuthor/

Website: http://www.shawntellemadison.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Shawntelle

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawntellemadison/

INTERVIEW

Tell us about your new novel Bound to You.

Bound to You is about a concierge in Boston, MA who is given the task of helping a hot tech company owner secure
the deal of a lifetime. Sophie Ashton works day-to-day helping her exclusive clients, but she’s never had a client like Xavier Quinn. He’s a hard man to work with, but over time she falls for him and considers opening her broken heart to someone new. This novel is the first book in the At Your Service series and I’m excited since this book is my first full-length contemporary romance.

What was the inspiration for the At Your Service series?

That’s a fun story. I was brainstorming with one of author pals and she mentioned concierge companies that cater to the uber rich. Now I love a man in a suit. Add in a concierge trained to please the most finicky client and you’ve got a fascinating boss/employee story waiting to happen. The two are all about business, but when feelings and sexual tension enter into the mix, things get complicated real fast.

51mcdrh8cdl-_ou01_ac_ul320_sr210320_

You’ve written Contemporary Romance, Horror, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy and Young Adult. What has been your favorite genre to write? Are there any other genres that you would want to write?

Hands down my favorite genre to write is urban fantasy. A close second would be paranormal romance. I’d love to explore other genres such as thrillers someday.

What is your writing process like?

In the beginning, I thought I could just come up with an idea and write anything, but I learned the hard way that that isn’t my process. Go figure! I learned over time that I’m a “plotser.” Meaning I write by the seat of my pants and I also plot out my book. (I guess I do a bit of both… Heh.) I come up with a general idea about the characters I want to write and what issues they are facing. Once I have this foundation I can start writing. Of course a story is never perfect once you have that first draft. After I’ve finished a story I go through several drafts to get the story the way I want it. Sometimes this takes weeks and sometimes this takes months.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I started writing when I was in middle school. I still have the folder full of those horrible stories, but they make me smile. I had no idea I could be a writer. I had no idea that all those scenes swimming around in my head could become a story.

I knew I wanted to do this in a professional capacity when I met my crit partner, author Sarah Jude, back in 2008. Before then I’d gone to grad school, did the 9-5 thing, and had kids. After I finished my first full-length book in 2008 I truly felt like a writer versus someone who considered themselves a dreamer.

What are some of your favorite books/authors?

I have so many. Where can I start? The author I aspire to be someday is Octavia Butler. I read her sci-fi books in high school and they are amazing. I love Patricia Briggs and Marjorie M. Liu. The last book I gobbled up like a mad woman was The Martian. It was a nerdgasm. I’ll pretty much read anything if the author hooks me. Not just sci-fi/fantasy. I also love to read new adult romances by Jessica Scott, Elle Kennedy, and Kristin Callahan. I could keep going all day… How much time do you have?

If you where not a writer what would you be doing?

When I’m not writing I’m actually a web developer. I’ve been a developer for over ten years now. When you press a button on a website, I’m one of the people who writes the code for what happens after you push the button.

What are you working on now?

Right now I’m working on a proposal for my publisher as well as the second book in my YA sci-fi series and an urban fantasy series I’ve waited a long time to write.

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan Review + Interview

May 10, 2016October 12, 20181 Comment

I am so excited to be reviewing The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan. Not only am I reviewing the book but both Heather and Jessica were sweet enough to answer a few questions. Be sure to check out my interview with them at the end of my review. BE AWARE: THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAINS SPOILERS.

The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan Review

Summery: Inspired by Kate Middleton and Prince William. American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasized about glamour and royalty, fame and fortune. Yet it’s Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain’s future king. And when Bex can’t resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face.

Dating Nick immerses Bex in ritzy society, dazzling ski trips, and dinners at Kensington Palace with him and his charming, troublesome brother, Freddie. But the relationship also comes with unimaginable baggage: hysterical tabloids, Nick’s sparkling and far more suitable ex-girlfriends, and a royal family whose private life is much thornier and more tragic than anyone on the outside knows. The pressures are almost too much to bear, as Bex struggles to reconcile the man she loves with the monarch he’s fated to become.

Review: Having watched William and Kate’s relationship from their St. Andrew days this story was very appealing to me. What was so fun was noting all the details and events that were taken from real life.

One of the best parts of this book was that, although it was inspired by William and Kate, the characters of Bex and Nick (as well as the other characters) where very much their own characters and not just caricatures of their real-live counterparts. Along with exploring how Bex’s relationship with Nick changes her the book also explores how her relationship with Nick effects her friends and family. While I didn’t particularly like Bex’s twin sister, Lacey, I like how Cocks and Morgan showed how their relationship changed and how Lacey was effected by Bex’s new relationship.

I loved how every chapter seemed to end in a little cliffhanger that just made me want to continue reading. At one point I had to put the book down because I was afraid I would finish it too soon and I didn’t want it to end.

Best Feature: Freddie. Let’s be honest, who read The Royal We and didn’t love Prince Freddie? Since reading Outlander I have developed a love for good looking British red heads (Jamie Fraser) and Freddie is no exception. Freddie was charming and adorable and there was a big part of me that actually wanted Bex to end up with Freddie at the end.

Worst Feature: Lacey. As I said before I didn’t really like Lacey. While I think Cocks and Morgan tried to make her sympathetic I just found her to be obnoxious and selfish. While she somewhat redeems herself at the end it was a “too little, too late” type of situation for me to really like her.

Overview: I absolutely loved this book. While inspired by the real life story of Prince William and Kate Middleton the characters were well fleshed and drawn out and very much their own. Each chapter ended in a way that made you want to keep reading. Aside from Bex and Nick my favorite character had to be Nick’s brother Freddie. Now I am just crossing my fingers for a sequel.

Interview with Heather & Jessica

Q: You guys started your website Go Fug Yourself back in 2004. How did the idea for that come about?
JESSICA: It was really all started as a joke, actually. Heather and I had gone to the mall one day, and we were highly over-caffeinated, and we just started riffing on how bad all the posters and ads happened to be — that maybe fugly was the hot new trend, the new pretty — and basically started the blog to amuse ourselves. We never thought it would ever be read by anyone other than our friends!
HEATHER: At the time, starting a whole blog based on one kernel of a joke wasn’t so far off the norm. You know how today, people start comedy Twitter accounts for, say, Angelina Jolie’s Leg, or whatever? Back in the olden days of 2004, people did stuff like that with websites.

Q: How did you go from writing for GFY to writing books?
JESSICA: Well, we wrote a book that was based on GFY way back in 2008, and a lot of editors we worked with when we were selling that book mentioned to us that, while that project wasn’t for them, they’d be interested to see anything we did that was fiction.
HEATHER: We jumped at the chance. Writing books, to me, always sounded like this amazing thing that OTHER people did. It never occurred to me that I might have a book in me anywhere — it sounded so hard — so the faith in us from editors was just the shove I needed to stop and think, “Well, why can’t we do it? Maybe we can!” I’m not sure I’d ever have had the guts without Jessica as my writing partner, though. We were each other’s support system as we navigated everything new and scary about putting this kind of work out into the world.

Q: What is the writing process like? Do you write different sections of the book separately or together?
JESSICA: Basically, we write a really, really detailed outline together — when you’re writing with another person, you have to make sure you’re on the same page, no pun intended — and then we trade off. One of us will write a chunk, then email it to the other person, who will edit that chunk before adding the next several pages to the story. And we trade the manuscript back and forth like that.
HEATHER: Particularly for The Royal We, both of us needed to be fluent in the voices of all the characters. We both needed to be able to write without constantly stopping and leaving blanks for the other person to fill in — it would have made for a much choppier draft, and we were on a tight deadline for a long book, so we didn’t need to put up any extra speed bumps. Besides, we never wanted to assign ownership of parts of the book to each other. Both our names are on it, and so we wanted it to be a totally melded product of the two of us. And it is. I am sure there are writing pairs who can split up characters or work out the whole process in a different way, and I’m not saying any of those other approaches are wrong, or detrimental, at ALL. It depends on who you are and what you’re writing, and given those factors, this was what made sense to us.

Q: What is a typical working day like for you?
JESSICA: It really depends on what we’ve got on our plates — if we’re working on a book, or on a freelance article, often we try to set posts for Go Fug Yourself the night before so that we can work on whatever other writing projects we’ve got happening during the day. We also often have interviews or meetings or business calls during the day. So every day is different, but they always involve a lot of typing.
HEATHER: Taking a break from typing one thing basically just involves typing something else for a while. It’s extremely easy to forget to get up and move around. I bought a standing desk recently because we spent the year of The Royal We glued to our chairs.

Q: Tell us a little bit about what the research process for The Royal Wewas like?
JESSICA: Sure! We did a lot of research, because we wanted the book to feel authentic. That’s not to say we didn’t make any errors — I’m sure we did, as the only people who really know what it’s like to be on the inside of the royal family aren’t writing books about it! But we wanted to make sure we got as many of the logistics correct as possible. To that end, we read a lot of books — biographies, both authorized and otherwise; history books; a LOT of books about etiquette and about the various palaces in which we’d set the book.
HEATHER: We also took a trip to England in January of 2014, right when we were writing the first section, so that the locations and the feeling of the place would invigorate us. We didn’t want to write scenes in Oxford without walking the streets ourselves. I wanted Jessica to see Windsor — and frankly, I needed to clap eyes on it again myself. I grew up in England so a lot of these are places I’ve been several times, but I needed to see them again with a writer’s eye. And the Buckingham Palace tour is offered only on a very limited basis, so we knew we had to take that. When writing a book like this, we felt the reader would want the experience of being inside Buckingham Palace, and to us that had to come from as authentic a place as possible. We felt strongly that we couldn’t entirely make that up. Also, the tour ended with Champagne, so obviously.

Q: What was the most interesting/surprising thing you learned about William and Kate during your research?
JESSICA: I don’t know that I learned anything that surprising about William or Kate, because we weren’t really researching THEM. Although the book is obviously based on them, it’s only them in the loosest sense — we use a lot of the signposts of their relationship (meeting in college, the lengthy courtship, a break-up), but beyond that, almost everything that happens in the book is fictional. Most of our research was about logistics and location.
HEATHER: For me, the surprises were just in reading the biographies for inspiration, and realizing that I sympathize a lot more with Charles than most people do. Which isn’t to say I don’t think Diana was evil; just that I think she was deified and Charlies villified, when I think the truth is that both of them were equally accountable to the mistakes that were made, and that they were two people ill-suited to be wed and ill-equipped to handle each other. I found digging into a lot of that very illuminating.

Q: There were some loose ends and uncertainties at the end of The Royal We. Could there be a sequel in the future?
JESSICA: Maybe! We’d love to write more about these characters — the honest truth of the matter is that this particular book needs to do well enough that our publisher would ALSO love us to write more about them.
HEATHER: I’ve always said we’ll only do it if we have the right story — we’d never do it just for the sake of it..

Q: Was there any point in writing the book that you doubted the ending you chose?
HEATHER: We took great pains to use the first part to sell people on Bex and Nick as a romance between two people who fell in love, circumstances be damned. And then with the rest of the book, we took pains to show that sometimes love might not be enough. Sometimes, life gets in the way; sometimes, there is too much collateral damage. We feel strongly that we landed in the right spot at the end, but we love hearing whether people agree with that! It’s certainly open for debate.

Q: Would you rather be Kate or Pippa?
JESSICA: I think they both have a bit of a tough path, actually — and this is something we explore in the book, that in a way Lacey (who is our heroine Bex’s sister) is collateral damage of Bex’s highly publicized relationship with Nick. On one hand, Pippa isn’t scrutinized as closely as Kate is, but on the other, she IS scrutinized and with none of the benefits. I think I would rather be Kate, simply because it appears (and I hope it is true) that Kate has a happy marriage and two healthy children, and a job of sorts that seems fulfilling.
HEATHER: I would probably also choose to be Kate, because I think the spotlight that’s on Pippa is much harsher and less forgiving. As much as we all know Kate would be endlessly mocked for breaking a heel or limping from a blister or whatever during a public engagement, many people would sympathize with her struggling with something so human. But for whatever reason, I don’t think people consider how weird it must be to be Pippa, and what a toll it’s taken on her to be the moth flapping around next to the flame. The headlines about Kate, I feel like I could brush off if I were her, but the ones about Pippa often seem a bit meaner and in her shoes I think my skin would be thinner. Even if her shoes, on balance, are probably cuter.

Q: If you has the choice between Prince William or Prince Harry who would you choose?
JESSICA: Well, if they both were single, I would choose William. As fun as Harry obviously is, William seems more likely to call you the next day.
HEATHER: William. The older you get, the more you realize that reliability is pretty freaking sexy.

JESSICA: Aha! That IS a spoiler.